NASA's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission successfully launched on July 23, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission aims to enhance our understanding of how Earth's magnetic shield interacts with the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun.
The TRACERS mission comprises two identical satellites designed to study magnetic reconnection—a process where magnetic field lines from the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere reconnect, releasing energy. This phenomenon can influence space weather, affecting satellite communications, GPS systems, and power grids on Earth. By observing magnetic reconnection events, TRACERS seeks to improve space weather forecasting and safeguard technological infrastructure.
In addition to the primary TRACERS mission, three other NASA-funded payloads were deployed: Athena EPIC, PExT, and REAL. Athena EPIC is a small satellite designed to demonstrate an innovative, configurable way to deploy remote-sensing instruments into orbit more efficiently. PExT is a technology demonstration that showcases new capabilities for missions to switch between communication networks in space, similar to how cell phones roam between providers on Earth. REAL is a CubeSat that investigates how energetic electrons are scattered out of Earth's radiation belts and into the atmosphere, contributing to our understanding of space weather impacts on Earth.
The TRACERS mission is led by David Miles at the University of Iowa, with support from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. NASA's Heliophysics Explorers Program Office at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the mission for the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The University of Iowa, Southwest Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of California, Berkeley, all lead instruments on TRACERS that will study changes in Earth's magnetic and electric fields. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare contract for this mission.
For more information about the TRACERS mission, visit NASA's official website.